Arthur Askey - The Bee Song / Chirrup (1938) - YouTube Arthur Askey - The Bee Song / Chirrup (1938) Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Jun 24, 2012 Arthur's most famous song, The Bee Song, was also his first commercial record. Arthur Bowden Askey CBE (6 June 1900 -- 16 November 1982) was a prominent English comedian and actor. Askey's humour owed much to the playfulness of the characters he portrayed, his improvising, and his use of catchphrases, as parodied by the Arthur Atkinson character in The Fast Show. His catchphrases included "Hello playmates!", "I thank you all" (pronounced "Ay-Thang-Yaw'll"), and "Before your very eyes". He was known as "Big-Hearted Arthur".

Askey was born at 29 Moses Street, Liverpool, Lancashire, the eldest child and only son of Samuel Askey (d.1958), secretary of the firm Sugar Products of Liverpool, and his wife, Betsy Bowden (d.1949), of Knutsford, Cheshire. Six months after his birth the family moved to 90 Rosslyn Street, Liverpool. Askey was educated at St. Michael's Council School (1905--11) and the Liverpool Institute for Boys (1911--16), where he was known for winning an egg and spoon race at a school sports day. He was very small at 5' 2" (1.58 m), with a breezy, smiling personality, and wore distinctive horn-rimmed glasses. He served in the armed forces in World War I and performed in army entertainments. After working as a clerk for Liverpool Corporation, Education Department, he was in a touring concert party and the music halls, but he rose to stardom in 1938 through his role in the first regular radio comedy series, Band Waggon on the BBC.

Band Waggon began as a variety show, but had been unsuccessful until Askey and his partner, Richard Murdoch, took on a larger role in the writing. In the early 1930s, Askey appeared on an early form of BBC television — the spinning disc invented by John Logie Baird that scanned vertically and had only thirty lines. Askey had to be heavily made up for his face to be recognisable at such low resolution. When television became electronic, with 405 horizontal lines, Askey was a regular performer in variety shows. During World War II, Askey starred in several Gainsborough Pictures comedy films, including Band Waggon (1940), based on the radio show; Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt (1940); The Ghost Train (1941); I Thank You (1941); Back Room Boy (1942); King Arthur Was a Gentleman (1942); Miss London Ltd. (1943) and Bees in Paradise (1944); as well as the popular West End musical Follow the Girls. When television arrived, he made the transition well. His first TV series was Before Your Very Eyes!

(1952), named after his catchphrase. In 1957, writers Sid Colin and Talbot Rothwell revived the Band Waggon format for Living It Up, a series that reunited Askey and Murdoch after 18 years. He also made many stage appearances as a pantomime dame. He continued to appear frequently on television in the 1970s, notably as a panellist on the ITV talent show New Faces, where his usually sympathetic comments would offset the harsher judgments of fellow judges Tony Hatch and Mickie Most. He also appeared on the comedy panel game Joker's Wild. His last film was Rosie Dixon - Night Nurse (1978), starring Debbie Ash. Soon afterwards, he was forced to give up performing, and had both legs amputated owing to circulatory problems. Anthea, his daughter by his marriage to Elizabeth May Swash (m. 1925, d. 1974), was also an actress and often starred with him. For many years, he was an active member of the Savage Club (a London gentlemen's club). He was awarded the OBE in 1969 and the CBE in 1981.

Askey carried on working until just before he was hospitalised in July 1982. Poor circulation resulted in gangrene which led to him having both legs amputated and he died in London's St Thomas's Hospital on 16 November 1982. Askey is buried in Putney Vale Cemetery. Category Arthur Askey Arthur Askey Tommy Trinder THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Arthur Askey, comedian, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews outside the BBC Television Theatre . Liverpool-born Arthur served in the armed forces in the First World War and performed in army entertainments. After working as a clerk for Liverpool Corporation, he joined a touring concert party which played the music halls, but he rose to stardom in 1938 through his role in the first regular radio comedy series, Band Waggon on the BBC, where he was teamed up with comedian and writer, Richard Murdoch . During the Second World War Arthur starred in several successful comedy films, including Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt and The Ghost Train. He became one of the first regular performers on early BBC television before securing his own series in 1952 called Before Your Very Eyes! - named after his catchphrase.

Arthur was honoured by This Is Your Life a second time in 1974. If you have any material relating to this particular edition of This Is Your Life, and would like to contribute it, please contact mail@bigredbook.info Arthur recalls his experience of This Is Your Life in his autobiography Before Your Very Eyes... In the autumn, I was very busy with television, which was now becoming more and more popular. One successful programme was This Is Your Life, which I thought was an embarrassing show and swore they’d never catch me for. But they did. I was coming out of a TV rehearsal (for the commercial channel) with Brian Tesler and MacDonald Hobley when we noticed a BBC van at the bottom of the steps.

Mac Hobley said, ‘What’s a BBC van doing here?’ Then out stepped Eamonn Andrews with the book and the well-known death knell: ‘Arthur Askey – this is your life.’ I was then bundled into a car and on the way to Shepherd’s Bush I tried to put up a mild resistance, but Eamonn said, ‘Don’t let us down, we’ve got all sorts of relatives and friends there and a packed audience in the studio,’ I said, ‘Well, one relative you won’t have is my little wife,’ but he said, ‘You’re wrong, she’s there all right.’ Which just shows Eamonn’s powers of persuasion, for if anyone ever shunned the limelight, it was my May. The programme followed its usual pattern and I reacted with great surprise as each old acquaintance or relative was introduced. I had to over-act when one fellow from Liverpool ‘who had been my best friend’ came on and I had, and still have, no idea who he was! Anthea appeared on film as she was very pregnant, as did Dickie Murdoch (not pregnant, I hasten to add).

May surprised me with the ease and humour she displayed, and Rene came on at the end dressed like me. Poor girl, she’s so like me, she has to stay indoors when I’m playing Dame in pantomime! programme details... Broadcast date: Mon 28 Dec 1959 Broadcast time: 7.30-8.05pm Recorded: Mon 7 Sep 1959 Venue: BBC Television Theatre Arthur Askey Arthur Askey Arthur was born in Liverpool in 1900 and joined a touring concert party in 1924. Two years later, and for the next four years he became one of Fred Wilton's Entertainers at the Oval, Cliftonville. He started to make a name for himself in 1930 when he appeared with Powis Pinder's 'Sunshine'. In 1937 he compered 'The Coronation Revue' with Sir George Robey and in 1938 he became a household name when he starred with Richard Murdock in radio's 'Bandwaggon'.

The first show was broadcast on 5th January 1938 and the show ran for three series, until 2nd December 1939. Askey and Murdoch provided the comedy which soon came to dominate the show. Many sketches featured them sharing a top floor flat in Broadcasting House along with Lewis the goat and several pigeons. Bandwaggon was the first radio show to popularise catchphrases, which were repeated until they caught on with the listeners. Arthur's catchphrases included 'Big hearted Arthur that's me', 'Hello playmates', 'Ah happy days' and 'Ay thang yew'. There was also a film version of Bandwaggon released in 1939 by Gainsborough. The plot involved Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch running a pirate TV station in a ghostly castle and rounding up a gang of spies. A special edition of 'Bandwaggon' called 'Jubilee Show' to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of the BBC was broadcast on 13th November 1947. During 'Bandwaggon' Arthur Askey's career developed rapidly.

He appeared in a number of films and stage shows and became known for his silly songs such as 'The Bee Song'. Arthur also appeared in the Royal Variety Shows of 1946, 1948 and 1978. He was always extremely popular and was well known as a pantomime dame. His daughter, Anthea became an actress and she specialised in pantomime. Arthur's trademark was his spectacles and he was known as 'Big Hearted Arthur'. He died in 1982. ARTHUR ASKEY | A TELEVISION HEAVEN BIOGRAPHY Biography: Arthur Askey They say that good things often come in small packages, and for the world of entertainment as a whole and early British television comedy in particular, one especially small package came to embody bright, fresh, anarchic laughter on a huge scale. The name of that small but shining star of early small screen comedy was Arthur Askey. Arthur Bowden Askey was born in Liverpool on 6th June 1900. After being educated at the Liverpool Institute and singing in the Liverpool Cathedral choir he entered the Liverpool Education Offices as a clerk.

At the age of 16 he gave this up and began to learn a new trade as an entertainer around the local clubs and soon began to emerge as a true all-rounder in the grand tradition of the British music hall. During the First World War he joined the forces he soon began performing at army shows. Following this, Arthur spent 14 years honing his skills working the concert party circuit before landing a part, in 1938, on BBC radio in a new series called Band Waggon. The show was the first weekly comedy/variety series to be broadcast in Britain on a fixed day and also the first to feature a resident comedian. However, the first few episodes were not very well received and the series was almost cancelled. But by the third programme Arthur, his partner, Richard Murdoch, and writer Vernon Harris came up with a better-received format and the idea that led listeners to believe that the duo lived in a flat on top of the newly opened Broadcasting House. The public suddenly caught on to the pair's particular brand of anarchic humour and 'Big-Hearted Arthur' and 'Stinker Murdoch' became huge stars.

Arthur quickly became famous for his catchphrase "Ay-Thang-Yew" (the first of many to be associated with the him), and his boast that it was the "daddy of all catchphrases" was given credence almost 60 years later when Mike Meyers used it again for comic effect in the successful Austin Powers feature films. "I did not realise at the time I was saying anything particularly comic," said Arthur, in 1951. "But in no time those words were on everybody's lips and the phrase passed into language." Band Waggon was quickly adapted for both a stage production and a feature film (1939) and Arthur went on to star in a number of other successful features for Gainsborough, including Charlie's Aunt, Ghost Train, I Thank You, Back Room Boy, King Arthur Was A Gentleman, Miss London Ltd., and Bees in Paradise. Askey's persona was that of a hyperactive schoolboy and he would often perform skipping around the stage or incorporating an energetic song and dance into his act. He was also the master of the ad-lib. Although they were distinctly different in style, Arthur claimed to be influenced by the great American comedian Jack Benny.

"I am an out-and-out admirer of Benny - he's terrific." He wrote in an article for The World Radio and Television Annual of 1951. He wrote; "The tendency on this side of the Atlantic is for characters to be eccentric, even grotesque. Jack Benny, whatever strange happenings he lets himself in for, is himself and nobody else." Arthur said that Band Waggon was the first show of its kind on British radio to steer away from eccentric characters. "I was myself and Dickie was himself -and millions of listeners believed in us and our flat." To such an extent in fact that listeners sent in hundreds of letters a week addressed to that make-believe address. After the Second World War Arthur remained as popular as ever although his first TV series in 1952, Before Your Very Eyes! (another of his catchphrases), was only moderately well received by critics and public alike, until the introduction of the completely dumb voluptuous blonde, Sabrina (Norma Sykes), whose fondness for tight fitting dresses turned her into British TV's first sex-symbol. Although he was constantly seen on television throughout his career, his own starring vehicles were not that kind to him.

In 1957 writers Sid Colin and Talbot Rothwell revived the Band Waggon format for Living It Up, a series that reunited Askey and Murdoch after an absence of 18 years. (The flat they shared was now on top of Television House). The first show was panned by critics. But Arthur the irrepressible came back the following week with some unrehearsed remarks directly to the camera. During the opening sketch he suddenly broke off, walked up to the camera and peered inside as if looking at the TV audience. "So, you didn't enjoy the show last week?" he said. Then in the middle of another scene he went up to the camera again and shaking his head he remarked, "Can't understand why you didn't like it, really I can't." In the end only 9 shows were made and Arthur returned to live performing as the end-of-the-pier comedian par excellence. There were other TV series, the best of which was Arthur's Treasured Volumes, but in the main Arthur would be content as the special guest star or topping the bill at the Palladium.

The diminutive comedian (he was 5 foot 3 inches) who had coined the catchphrases "Hello Playmates and "Doesn't it make you want to spit?", continued to work into his eighties and in 1980 he made one of his last appearances at The Royal Variety Show. Following this he suffered from circulatory problems in his legs, which ultimately led him to having both amputated. Arthur Askey died on 16th November 1982. Although small in physical stature, the genial, superbly honed comedic talent and lovable persona of the big hearted, cheekily grinning comic lad from Liverpool will forever ensure that Arthur Askey's trademark brand of quick-fire humour and masterly use of the ad-lib will continue to elicit big bouts of appreciative laughter wherever and whenever vintage British television comedy is screened. Biography: Laurence Marcus and Stephen R. Hulse December 2002 for Television Heaven BANDWAGGON THE BANDWAGGON SHOW GUIDE In 1937 the BBC Audience Research department discovered that dance band shows were not as popular as had previously been thought.

The BBC were planning to produce a series of such shows, so it was decided to broaden their scope by adding a resident comedian and compere. Gordon Crier, one of the shows two producers suggested that the compere should be Richard Murdoch, a song and dance man and juvenile lead, whose background was in musical revue. The choice of resident comedian caused a few problems. Gordon Crier and his co-producer Harry H. Pepper thought that either Tommy Trinder or Arthur Askey would be suitable. They were considered to be equally good so a coin was tossed to decide which one of them should get the job - Heads for Trinder, tails for Askey. It came down heads but Tommy Trinder was unavailable so Arthur Askey joined the show. Arthur had made a few radio appearances but his background was mainly in music-hall. A writer was hired and the first three shows were broadcast starting on 5th January 1938. They were a disaster so the scriptwriter was sacked and a scriptwriting team of Gordon Crier, Vernon Harris, Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch took over.

The plan was to have a dance band show with organ interludes featuring items such as what do you think -A radio problem with Hans W. Priwin and New Voices - a sort of early Opportunity Knocks. Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch provided the comedy and their spots soon came to dominate the show. Many of their sketches had Arthur and Richard sharing a top floor flat in Broadcasting House along with Lewis the goat, and pigeons named Basil, Lucy, Ronald and Sarah. Other regular characters included Mrs Bagwash the char and her daughter Nausea, both of whom were often referred to but never heard. Arthur was courting Nausea but he never seemed to be getting anywhere - In 1938 the BBC had a strict code of conduct about such things. Their adventures often ended violently with Arthur falling off a ladder, piloting a cinema organ through the roof and the like, which always ended with the famous Bandwaggon crash. A corner of the stage was roped off like a boxing ring, and a large pile of assorted metal objects were piled up inside. At the appropriate moment it was pushed over by a sound effects man.

This became a very popular part of the show and the sound effects man began to enter the spirit of it all by coming dressed for the part and bowing to the audience when they applauded. This carried on until Arthur Askey shouted 'Oi! I'm the comedian. I get the laughs'. Bandwaggon was the first radio show to use catchphrases in a big way. The show was on at the same time every week so phrases could be repeated until they caught on.. The studio audience helped by their enthusiastic response, and this enthusiasm then spread to the listeners at home. The first of these phrases appeared in the very first show, when Arthur Askey said 'Big hearted Arthur that's me', a phrase he had been using in real life for several years. Another early catchphrase was 'Hello playmates'. This started out as 'Hello folks' but was changed when Tommy Handley complained that it was his catchphrase.

Others included 'Ah happy days' - sighed by Arthur and Richard when reminiscing about the past, 'Light the blue touchpaper and retire immediately' which was used when retreating from any confrontation with Mrs Bagwash, 'You silly little man' - Richard's comment about Arthur and 'Ay thang yew' - a pronunciation which Arthur had picked up from London bus conductors. In the 1930s, radio comedy shows were usually split up with musical items and features. One of Bandwaggon's most popular features was 'Mr Walker wants to know', in which Syd Walker played an old Cockney junkman. He would enter to the sound of his signature tune - Any rags bottles or bones. Then he would relate some recent events in his life and ask listeners to write in and advise him what to do, with his phrase 'What would you do chums'. Thousands of people did just that and his postbag grew to enormous size. Another popular feature was Chestnut Corner where Arthur and Richard exhumed very old and corny jokes for one last airing. By the third series, Arthur Askey's career was developing rapidly, with films and stage shows, so it was decided to end the series after eleven shows.

The last show, broadcast on 2nd December 1939, featured the realistic departure of Arthur and Richard from their famous flat and left many listeners in tears. A stage show toured the country for a while, and was broadcast on 8th June 1940. Then Richard Murdoch joined the RAF and Bandwaggon ended. The show was revived for one last time on 13th November 1947 to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of the BBC, with Fred Yule as the late Syd Walker. Bandwaggon only ran for a total of 55 shows, but it had an enormous impact. It established a new formula - a regular weekly comedy and music show at the same time each week. It was the first comedy show to be designed specifically for the radio, as opposed to one made up of variety acts. Its catchy little signature tune , lavish musical items and irreverent clowning made it pre-war radios biggest success. The events and characters largely existed in the minds of the listeners, enabling them to take part in the act of creation - A feature of most popular radio comedy shows since then. The show was produced by Harry S.

Pepper and Gordon Crier, with the scripts by Gordon Crier, Vernon Harris, Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch. The Mr Walker wants to know was written by Ernest Dudley and Gordon Crier. The Radio Times mentions The Jackdaus, The Jackdaws and The Jakdauz. Series 1 The cast was Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch with guests as indicated, with the music being provided by The Bandwaggoners conducted by Phil Cardew, The Jackdaus (Miff Ferrie, George Crow and Terry Brown), Reginald Foort at the BBC Theatre Organ (2-14), Charles Smart at the BBC Theatre Organ (15-18). A regular feature of this series was 'What do you think - a radio problem by Hans W. Priwin' This was in all shows where Priwin was present except the last in the series. Episode 8.00 to 9.00 pm OTHER SHOWS Star Variety - From a Northern Theatre, 8/6/40, 8.15 to 9.00 pm, Arthur Askey, Richard Murdoch, Charles Smart, Dollie Elsie, The Bandwaggoners conducted by Sunny Farrar.

Jubilee Show 13/11/47, 10.15 to 11.00 pm, Arthur Askey, Richard Murdoch, The Jackdaus, Bettie Bucknell, Bill Emmings, Fred Yule, The Bandwaggoners conducted by Phil Cardew, Charles Smart at the BBC Theatre Organ FILMS There was a film version of Bandwaggon released in 1939 by Gainsborough. The plot involved Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch running a pirate TV station in a ghostly castle and rounding up a gang of spies. Producer : Edward Black, Director : Marcel Varnel, Cast:-Arthur Askey, Richard Murdoch, Jack Hylton and his band, Pat Kirkwood, Moore Marriott, Peter Gawthorne, Wally Patch, Donald Calthrop. I would like to thank Tony Lang for the use of his show guide for BANDWAGGON, and hope he doesn't mind me freely adapting it.

Band Waggon (radio comedy) on CD album | CD41 Recordings CD41 Recordings BAND WAGGON Audio CD on CD41 CD41 present a newly remastered CD from the celebrated 1930s/1940s British radio comedy Band Waggon, together with several vintage wartime recordings by the show's resident comedian, Arthur Askey. Running for 72 minutes, the CD booklet features vintage photos and illustrations, as well as a detailed history of the Band Waggon show. A must for all nostalgia, variety and comedy buffs!. BAND WAGGON / BIG HEARTED ARTHUR GOES TO WAR CD41-012 £10.00 Band Waggon made stars of Arthur 'Big' Askey and Richard 'Stinker' Murdoch, and ran on BBC radio between 1938 and 1940.

Attracting almost 20 million listeners at its peak, the program also spawned a hit stage show and a film, as well as a host of deathless catchphrases including "aythangyow", "what would you do, chums?", "doesn't it make you want to spit", "don't be filthy" and "light the blue touchpaper and stand well clear". This digitally remastered CD includes the very last Band Waggon studio show from December 1939, as well as favourites such as Chestnut Corner and The Proposal. Also featured are several of Arthur's trademark "silly little songs" including the evergreen Bee Song, and several topical comedy numbers cut during the Second World War, including Adolf (for which he was placed on a Gestapo arrest list) and Thanks for Dropping In Mr Hess, issued after the surprise arrival of Rudolf Hess in May 1941 and immediately withdrawn by order of the government. 21 tracks, 72 minutes of music.

Tracklist: Band Waggon - Final Broadcast, December 1939); Chestnut Corner; The Proposal; Big & Stinker's Parkour Games; Moment Musical; Arthur Askey songs - The Bee Song, It's A Hap-Hap-Happy Day; Adolf; The Washing on the Siegfried Line; What A Nice Lot of Nazis; I Wanna Banana; Get In Your Shelter; The Thing-Ummy-Bob; Kiss Me Goodnight Sergeant Major; Thanks For Dropping In Mr Hess; When That Man Is Dead & Gone. Reviews: "Celebrated radio comedy, including favourites such as Chestnut Corner and The Proposal. Our recommended buy" (Best of British, 7/06) BAND WAGGON CD liner notes by James Hayward Born in Liverpool on 6 June 1900, the diminutive Arthur Bowden Askey sang for wounded soldiers as a child in the Great War, and in 1918 spent six short months in the Welch Regiment in 1918. A humble clerk in peacetime, Askey formed his own amateur concert party group, and made his professional debut in 1924 as principle comedian with the Song Salad Party.

He was first heard on radio in 1933, and appeared in his first film three years later. His radio reputation was boosted in May 1937, when he replaced Max Miller as co-presenter (with George Robey) of a BBC special to celebrate the coronation of King George VI. Irritated by Robey's appropriation of the best lines in rehearsal, Askey ad-libbed during the actual broadcast, earning official censure, but unofficial glory. That same year the BBC Audience Research department discovered that dance band shows were not as popular as had previously been thought. Since the Corporation was planning to produce a new series of such programmes, based on an American format called Band Waggon, it was decided to broaden their scope by adding both a compere and a resident comedian. Producers Harry Pepper and Gordon Crier tossed a coin to decide on the latter: heads for Tommy Trinder, tails for Arthur Askey. The coin came down heads, but since Trinder was unavailable the lesser known Askey got the job, due in large part to his spontaneity on The Coronation Revue.

He was teamed with suave straight-man Richard Murdoch (1907-1990), an actor and light comedian educated at Charterhouse and Cambridge, then working in review. Band Waggon debuted on 5 January 1938, and was the first BBC variety show to go out in a fixed weekly slot with a fixed cast. As well as dance band The Bandwaggoners, organist Charles Smart and veteran comedian Syd Walker, the show also featured slots such as What Do You Think? and New Voices, a kind of Opportunity Knocks. After the first three shows were poorly received the script writer was dismissed, and Askey, Murdoch, Crier and Vernon Harris took charge themselves. The new format cast 'Big Hearted' Arthur and 'Stinker' Murdoch as supposed caretakers of the Greenwich time-pips, living in a fictional flat on top of Broadcasting House together with a goat named Lewis, and pigeons Basil and Lucy. Thus Band Waggon can lay claim to being the first British situation comedy. Askey and Murdoch's anarchic comic spots came to dominate Band Waggon, and the show was soon a huge hit.

Other regular characters included Mrs Bagwash, a charwoman, and her daughter Nausea, although neither was ever actually heard. Nausea always fainted in front of the microphone and of her listeners heard only a thud. In fact Big Hearted Arthur was courting Nausea, but never seemed to get anywhere, for in 1938 the BBC had a strict code of conduct on such matters. Many episodes ended in physical disaster, in which the energetic Askey triggered the famous Band Waggon crash - in fact a large pile of assorted metal objects in a corner of the stage. Band Waggon was also the first British show to employ catchphrases successfully. These included "Hello playmates", "What would you do, chums?", "Ah happy days", "doesn't it make you want to spit", "don't be filthy", "light the blue touchpaper and retire immediately" and "aythangyow" - the latter pronunciation picked up by Arthur from London bus conductors. Another popular feature was Chestnut Corner, in which Askey and Murdoch exumed ancient jokes for one last airing. "Big Hearted Arthur" also performed his trademark "silly little songs", including the immortal Bee Song.

This would be his first record release after signing a contract with HMV, and was recorded in April 1938, just as the first series of Band Waggon ended. Band Waggon aired for two series, the first running to 18 shows (5 January to 4 April 1938) and the second for 24 (5 October to 15 March 1939). At its peak it was estimated that some 20 million people tuned in on Saturday evenings. Such was the popularity of the show that canny bandleader Jack Hylton snapped up the stage rights, which opened - rather too hastily - at the Princes Theatre (later the Shaftesbury) on 26 December 1938. It flopped, but proved a runaway success at the Gaumont in Holloway, where it re-opened in January 1939, and was soon filling the 3000 seat theatre three times a day. A national tour followed, taking in Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Coventry and Liverpool, before finally returning to the London Palladium on 3 July 1939, with guest comedian Tommy Trinder joining in the fun.

Askey later commented that Band Waggon was the first show of its kind on British radio to steer clear of eccentric characters: "I was myself and Dickie was himself, and millions of listeners believed in us and our flat." Indeed to such an extent that each week listeners sent in hundreds of letters addressed to the fictional flat above Broadcasting House. A third series of Band Waggon began to air on 16 September 1939. Even Parliament noted its reappearance, with Sir John Simon welcoming this return to normality, and Sir Samuel Hoare commending the programme as a national pick-me-up. By now Britain was at war with Germany, and Askey announced the first programme thus: "Well, playmatesÖ I think it's a stroke of genius putting Band Waggon on the air. It'll make old Nasty realise what the British public will put up with. Anyway, they had to do something to give the gramophone a restÖ Old Stuart Hibberd's nearly worn out winding it up - and, of course, you probably notice how muffled it sounded for a few days. Well, they investigated and found there was a pair of Grisewood's socks pushed down the horn.

They'd been there since the Savoy Hill days when the neighbours used to complain about the noise." By now the BBC had moved west to Bristol. Although this first show made several references to the national emergency (charwoman Mrs Bagwash was now 'somewhere in Essex" on work of international importance, while her daughter Nausea was a barrage balloon "blower-upper" in Hyde Park, and Lewis the goat had been snatched by an ARP Decontamination Squad), later editions contained noticeably fewer references to the war. The last original radio episode of Band Waggon was broadcast on 2 December 1939, after which the show was replaced by Garrison Theatre, starring Jack Warner. Quite why Band Waggon was not revived for a fourth series remains a minor mystery. The most likely explanation is that the runaway success of the show on stage, screen and radio left Askey and Murdoch without sufficient time to write quality new material, and certainly the inferior script for the Band Waggon film released in January 1940 bears this out. However it would also seem that Askey was poorly advised, and pursued short-term financial gain over the longevity achieved by Tommy Handley, Kenneth Horne and others.

It hardly helped that war broke out, as Askey later recalled in his autobiography: "Everything was going my way and the only cloud on the horizon was another comedian called Adolf Hitler, who I had an uneasy feeling was going to spoil things for me and everybody elseÖ After fifteen years years' struggle to get my name in lights, came the black-out! To say I was depressed is to put it mildly." Directed by Marcel Varnel, with a script by Marriot Edgar and Val Guest, the Band Waggon film began shooting in August 1939. The plot saw Big, Stinker and Lewis the goat evicted from the flat above Broadcasting House, and obliged to move into ghostly Droon Castle, where they discover a haul of advanced television equipment. The pair decide to broadcast their own pirate show, little knowing that the kit belongs to a nest of Nazi (or are they Russian?) spies. Jack Hylton and his Band also featured heavily, but the film had little in common with the earlier radio series, and was coolly received. In March 1940 Askey and Murdoch recorded a Band Waggon derived sketch, The Proposal, for release on HMV, the proposal in question addressed to Nausea.

It proved a best-seller. Then at the end of April the pair (plus Hylton) flew to France to entertain the troops, and only narrowly avoided the Blitzkrieg unleashed in May. Askey's silly little songs had already taken on a more topical hue. He was the first to record The Washing on the Siegfried Line, for which he was placed on a Nazi arrest list, and followed this with Adolf, Kiss Me Goodnight Sergeant Major, Run Rabbit Run, I Wanna Banana and others. In 1941 his comic song Thanks for Dropping In Mr Hess was hurriedly withdrawn by order of the government. A further stage variant of Band Waggon played the summer season at Blackpool Opera House in 1940, and was broadcast on radio on 8 June, but soon afterwards Murdoch joined the Royal Air Force and the Band Waggon finally ground to a halt. While serving in the RAF Murdoch met Kenneth Horne, the pair teaming up for two further vintage BBC radio comedies, Ack-Ack-Beer-Beer (1939-1944) and Much-Binding in the Marsh (1947-1953).

A final Band Waggon was broadcast on 13 November 1947, as part of the BBC's Silver Jubilee celebrations, and a decade later Askey and Murdoch adapted the format for television. However Living It Up was not a conspicuous success, and ran for just nine episodes in 1957, despite the relocation of Big and Stinker's celebrated flat from Broadcasting House to the Associated Rediffusion building on Kingsway. Askey's initial film career lasted from 1940 to 1944, ending with the commercial failure of Bees in Paradise. Over the next three decades, however, he endured as a major figure on radio, television, variety and panto. Arthur Askey died on 16 November 1982. James Hayward Comedy Tribute UK/Arthur Askey Arthur Askey (1900 - 1982) For the best part of forty years, Big-hearted Arthur, the diminutive British comedian with a treasure-chest full of catch-phrases, was a stalwart of the the British entertainment scene. He was a major figure in radio, television, variety and panto.

His film career was not quite as impressive, but he did take the lead in some comedy gems. Askey was born in Liverpool and started work as a clerk with the Liverpool education Committee when he was 16. At 24 he joined a concert party and started touring the halls and piers. His act consisted of silly jokes, sillier songs and really really silly dances and by 1926 he had become a top seaside entertainer. His big break came in 1938 with the radio comedy/variety show Band Waggon. This was the first British radio comedy show to present its stars in situations, rather than as stand-up comics. The first few episodes were poor and the show was cancelled after the third broadcast. With another three weeks to fill before a replacement could be found, Askey and his team mate Richard "Stinker" Murdoch were able to do what they wanted with the time. Their anarchic humour based around the idea that they were sharing a flat in Broadcasting House quickly caught on and soon Band Waggon was a hit and Askey a star. There were even annuals dolls and glove puppets of 'Big Hearted Arthur' as he had affectionately been named.

In 1939 Band Waggon was adapted for the silver-screen and Askey's career as a film star began. He made a series of witty, anarchic films which kept people cheery during the war. The standard of Askey's films, however, dropped away quite quickly, and he was understandably so disappointed with the last, Bees in Paradise, in 1944, that he made no more films for a decade. He went back to radio and the halls, and as TV developed became a major star once again with his variety show 'Before Your Very Eyes'. A film version of his stage success The Love Match brought Askey back to the big screen in 1954 and a series of gentle comedies soon followed. He teamed up with June Whitfield in 1961 to make The Arthur Askey Show, a six part sitcom for TV. Set in 1910, Askey played Arthur Pilbeam, a man who was married to a much younger woman, Emily (June Whitfield). The Pilbeams live next door to Mr Rossiter (Arthur Mullard) and his wife (Patricia Hayes). A further six episodes were made but were never transmitted.

(Recordings still exist of all 12 episodes.) Askey's career gradually wound down as he got older, but he still found the energy to be a popular pantomime dame. He also appeared on the panel of New Faces, the talent show of the 1970s. Another appearance by Royal command came in 1978 and he only stopped working a few years before his death when poor circulation meant his legs had to be amputated. Richard Murdoch - Much-Binding-In-The-Marsh - YouTube Richard Murdoch - Much-Binding-In-The-Marsh Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Apr 23, 2012 Essentially a star of Radio, former chorus boy Richard Murdoch first enjoyed national fame teamed with Arthur Askey in a series titled 'Band Waggon' which ran from January 1938 for several series into the 1940s.

His career went on to even greater success when he teamed with Kenneth Horne, first in a wartime series titled 'Merry-Go-Round' from which developed the famous 'Much-Binding' show - which also introduced one time crooner, Sam Costa, whose radio career also went from strength to strength, including in countless variety shows and ultimately success as a Radio 2 disc jockey. Murdoch's radio work later included the long running series, 'The Men From The Ministry' and Kenneth Horne of course will be best remembered for 'Beyond Our Ken' and 'Round The Horne'. Filmed glimpses of all 3 celebrities are included in this excerpt from a stage performance by Richard Murdoch which finds him reflecting on his early years in 'Much-Binding-In-The-Marsh'. Category Richard Murdoch - IMDb IMDb Actor | Soundtrack | Writer Richard Murdoch was born on April 6, 1907 in Kestow, Kent, England as Richard Bernard Murdoch. He was an actor, known for The Ghost Train (1941), Rumpole of the Bailey (1978) and Strictly Confidential (1959). He was married to Peggy Rawlings.

He died on October 9, 1990 in Walton, England. See full bio » Born: Do you have a demo reel? Add it to your IMDbPage How much of Richard Murdoch's work have you seen? User Polls 1988 Never the Twain (TV Series) Colonel Wainwright 1983 The Black Adder (TV Series) Ross, A Lord 1980 The Professionals (TV Series) Sir Alan Sternfield 1978 Warrior Queen (TV Series) Olussa 1977 The New Avengers (TV Series) Pinman Perry 1977 Owner Occupied (TV Movie) Colonel Washbrook 1977 The Moomins (TV Series short) Narrator - English (1982) (voice) - Exit Miss Graham (1952) ... Max Rollo - Satin (1952) ...

Max Rollo Soundtrack (3 credits) 1941 I Thank You (performer: "Half Of Everything Is Yours") 1940 Band Waggon (performer: "The Only One Who's Difficult Is You" (1940), "Boomps-A-Daisy" (1940), "Old King Cole" (uncredited)) 1937 Over She Goes (performer: "We Policemen Think We Police Are Grand") Hide 1948 At Home (TV Movie) Hide 1974-1985 This Is Your Life (TV Series documentary) Himself / Himself (via telephone) 1975-1982 Looks Familiar (TV Series) Himself - Guest 1975 2nd House (TV Series) Himself 1970 Frost on Sunday (TV Series) Himself 1969 Frost on Saturday (TV Series) Himself 1967 Dee Time (TV Series) Himself 1963 Comedy Bandbox (TV Series) Himself 1962 Let's Imagine (TV Series) Himself / Himself - Pianist 1960 Laugh Line (TV Series) Himself

 1957-1958 Living It Up (TV Series) Himself 1956 This Is Your Life (TV Series documentary) Himself 1956 Northern Showground (TV Series) Himself - Presenter 1955 It's Magic (TV Series) Himself 1954-1955 Variety Parade (TV Series) Himself 1955 Face the Music (TV Series) Himself 1954 Television Christmas Party (TV Movie) Himself 1953 Garrison Theatre (TV Series) Himself - Presenter 1953 The Services Show (TV Series) Himself - Presenter 1951 The Top Hat (TV Series) Himself - Presenter Himself in Sir!

I Have An Idea segment - Episode #2.16 (1948) ... Himself in Sir! I Have An Idea segment - Episode #2.15 (1948) ... Himself in Sir! I Have An Idea segment - Episode #2.14 (1948) ... Himself in Sir! I Have An Idea segment - Episode #2.13 (1948) ... Himself in Sir! I Have An Idea segment - Episode #2.12 (1948) ... Himself in Sir! I Have An Idea segment

Question: In 1938, Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch starred in which new radio comedy series?
Answer: Band Waggon